PrepMaticCurrent affairs · September 2026
Exercise Nomadic Elephant 2026: India and Mongolia train at Pithoragarh
The 18th edition of the India-Mongolia joint military exercise Nomadic Elephant began on 21 September 2026 at the Foreign Training Node in Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand, and was scheduled to run until 3 October 2026. It is an annual, platoon-level exercise held alternately in India and Mongolia.
Key facts
| Point | Detail |
|---|---|
| Edition | 18th |
| Countries | India and Mongolia |
| Venue | Foreign Training Node, Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand |
| Dates | 21 September to 3 October 2026 |
| Strength | 45 personnel from each army |
| Previous edition | Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, May to June 2025 |
What the troops train for
The exercise aims to improve the joint capability of both sides to carry out counter-insurgency operations in semi-urban and mountainous terrain under a United Nations mandate. Training covers cordon and search operations, room intervention drills, special heliborne operations, cyber security training and the use of drones and counter-drone systems. The focus is on tactical-level operations, exchange of best practices, refining drills and interoperability.
Because the exercise alternates between the two countries, the host in 2026 is India after Mongolia hosted the last edition. That alternating pattern is a useful detail to remember.
Why it matters for exams
Bilateral exercises are a regular source of defence current affairs questions in TNPSC and general awareness in banking exams. Questions usually ask for the partner country, location or edition. Use the TNPSC current affairs guide to file them, and compare with Yudh Abhyas 2026.
Practice questions
Question 1
Nomadic Elephant is a joint military exercise between India and which country?
- A. Mongolia
- B. Kazakhstan
- C. Nepal
- D. Sri Lanka
Question 2
At which location in Uttarakhand did the 2026 edition of Nomadic Elephant take place?
- A. Auli
- B. Chaubatia
- C. Pithoragarh
- D. Dehradun
Answers
- A. Nomadic Elephant is the India-Mongolia exercise.
- C. The 2026 edition was held at the Foreign Training Node in Pithoragarh. Auli hosted Yudh Abhyas and Chaubatia hosted Mountain Guardian.
Source
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- Exercise Yudh Abhyas 2026The 22nd India-US Exercise Yudh Abhyas began on 15 September 2026 at Auli and Mahajan with 600 personnel each, focusing on mountain warfare and drones.
- Exercise Mountain Guardian 2026India and the UAE began Exercise Mountain Guardian 2026 at Chaubatia, Uttarakhand, from 5 to 18 October 2026 with 92 personnel, focused on mountain warfare.
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